Philip Van Kerrebroeck, professor of urology at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, said: "Nocturia is a common problem affecting around a third of adults, but its burden is underestimated and it is often dismissed as being less serious than other chronic conditions in terms of impact on quality of life and societal costs.

"These data show that nocturia negatively affects both sleep and daytime performance and its impact on work productivity is in line with many other chronic conditions. Patients with nocturia should seek specific treatment for this debilitating condition."

The researchers also found that disturbed sleep is considered to be the most burdensome symptom of nocturia, as around a third are unable drop off again which leads to insomnia

"I can't ever fall back asleep. I start watching TV all night and I am miserable the next day", one patient said.

The condition is often trivialised and assumed to be an inevitable part of the ageing process, but the latest research adds to evidence that it is a serious illness with far reaching implications.

The researchers asked 786 patients in two controlled trials what bothers them most about nocturia.

More than half (57%) of male sufferers and 42 per cent of women said that the most difficult part was disturbance to their sleep pattern, followed by the insomnia which follows and the way it makes them feel the next morning.

For older patients the condition brought with it other fears, including that of falling as they are forced to go to the bathroom in the dark.

The condition is often trivialised and assumed to be an inevitable part of the ageing process, but the latest research adds to evidence that it is a serious illness with far reaching implications.

The researchers asked 786 patients in two controlled trials what bothers them most about nocturia.

More than half (57%) of male sufferers and 42 per cent of women said that the most difficult part was disturbance to their sleep pattern, followed by the insomnia which follows and the way it makes them feel the next morning.

For older patients the condition brought with it other fears, including that of falling as they are forced to go to the bathroom in the dark.